The Hands of Evil
by Dr. C Nial DeMencha
Summary: Alex Rider has a seemingly impossible task - to infiltrate Scorpia. Along his mission, he meets old friends and new enemies. But every time he gets ahead, his life takes a twist. And in a world of lies, where no one can be trusted, can he face the odds?
1. Chapter 1

MI6 Proposition

Alex leaned against the armrest and sighed. He didn't know if he was doing the right thing. When he had moved to America it had been great to be out of the reach of MI6.

After the Ark Angel incident he had moved to Washington with his housekeeper, Jack Starbright. He lived there for four years while Jack got her British Citizenship. After four years they had decided to move back to London, as Alex was now eighteen and didn't need a legal guardian anymore and as Jack now had a British Citizenship, MI6 couldn't blackmail Alex into working for them.

Alex was shaken out of his thoughts when a booming voice came through the loudspeaker, "Please fasten your seatbelts as we are in the process of landing." Alex strapped his seatbelt on and tapped Jack on the shoulder. She woke up with a start.

"What is it?" she asked.

"We're landing. Fasten your seatbelt."

"Oh, ok."

"You know, I can't believe that MI6 actually made me agree to work for them. And that too they blackmailed me."

"Forget it Alex, they're out of your life. Lets hope that it remains like this forever."

"You know that that's impossible."

Jack sighed. "Were you always so pessimistic?" Alex cracked a smile and said, "Depends on how you look it."

Jack sighed and leaned back on her seat. She closed her eyes. Alex glanced out of the window and saw the massive city moving towards them. Four years…. Would he be able to handle it?

John Crawley stood quietly by the men's toilet, twiddling his thumbs. Blunt had sent him here on one of the most critical missions ever. Surprisingly, it wasn't dangerous. Not if he didn't say anything stupid to the teenager he was supposed to trail. He had seen eighteen-year-old Alex Rider enter the toilet and had nearly fainted at the moment.

Alex was about six feet tall, and must have weighed about a hundred and fifty pounds of pure muscle. Combined with the fact that he was now of age, and could use a gun, he could be MI6's most deadly operative. If he agreed, of course.

Alex came out, whistling quietly to himself. Crawley gulped and said, "Alex!"

Alex whirled around, his eyes shining. "You," he snarled. Crawley gulped again and said, "Alex, if you would just listen to me…" "Forget it!" snapped Alex. "MI6 ruined my old life and I won't let you'll ruin my new one too."

Crawley took a step forward and placed a hand on the teenager's shoulder, but fast as lightning, Alex grabbed his hand and pulled him close so that they were Seeing Eye to eye.

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear," he said, his voice dripping venom. "If you come after me one more time, I will personally insure that _unpleasant _things happen to you." With that, Alex turned around and walked away.

"Alright," said Crawley. "I guess that you wouldn't want me to tell you that Sabina…"

Alex gasped. "Sabina!" Crawley sighed. "Yes. If you want to know, you'll have to come with me." Alex ignored him and grasped his collar, lifting him up and slamming him against the wall. People stopped and stared. "Tell me what you know," whispered Alex. "_Right now_."

Crawley raised a hand. Alex heard a clicking of rifles behind him and in a resigned sort of manner he dropped Crawley, who attempted to straighten his jacket and look slightly more dignified. There were three tall guards standing behind Alex. "C'mon, Alex," said Crawley quietly.

"I think it's time we had a little chat."

The five of them walked off, leaving everyone near the Gate staring at them.

Blunt sat on his chair, his fingers interlocked, his face resting against his thumbs. Sometimes he wondered if he was getting a wee bit old for this job. But he couldn't think like that. Not now. Mrs. Jones sat next to him, also deep in thought.

Blunt had never looked forward to moments like these. Meeting people like Alex Rider always irritated him. For one, the teenager had the ability to make a joke out of almost everything someone said, even if he didn't use it.

Secondly, he was a very proficient agent. Normally, this would have pleased the spymaster, but Blunt had realized that if Alex was such a skilled spy at fourteen, he would do the impossible when he grew up. Blunt shuddered to think what would happen if Alex was on the wrong side.

The third one was a reason that Blunt never revealed to anyone. He had never done it, had no plans for doing it, and would never do it. Let's leave it at that.

There was a knock on the door, and Blunt glanced at Mrs. Jones. He took a breath and said quietly, "Come in." The door opened, and in walked Crawley. Blunt didn't even glance at him. He stared at the boy, rather man, next to him.

Alex Rider had a kind of hidden anger that could be easily seen around him. His face was emotionless, and there was no movement by any part of his body. But for a man like Blunt, who had met more people than he could count, he could easily sense the anger that lingered around Alex. "Crawley," he gestured, without taking his eyes off Alex.

Crawley scurried out of the room, unable to take the tension. The door closed. "Alex," said Blunt quietly.

"Blunt," replied Alex coldly. Mrs. Jones broke the tension. "Sit down."


	2. Chapter 2

The world's largest terrorist organization 

Alex sat down, with a frown on his face. He hadn't wanted to come to MI6 but as usual, they had forced him to 'hear them out' which usually meant that he was going on another life threatening mission. He could easily have escaped Crawley the guns and the guards, but he had to know about to know about Sabina.

"So Alex," began Mrs. Jones. "I take that you've moved back to London permanently?" Alex glared at her and said icily, "Cut to the chase. I'm not interested in your pleasantries." Blunt raised an eyebrow and said, "Fine. You want to know what's going on? I'll tell you what's going on. Sabina Pleasure has been kidnapped by a group of old friends. And if you don't go in, they'll kill her."

Alex's breath caught in his throat. "What did you say," he whispered. Blunt repeated the words in an emotionless voice. Alex clenched his fist and said, "How do I know that you're telling me the truth? For all I know, this could be some cheap trick to get me to work for you'll and spy on these 'old friends' that you speak of." Blunt smiled wryly.

Mrs. Jones said quietly, "Actually, that in itself will make you believe us." Alex snarled, "Just spill it!" Blunt closed his eyes. "Scorpia."

Alex nearly fainted. When he recovered, he bellowed, "SCORPIA?!" Blunt glared at him and said, "If you calm down and maintain your dignity, I can tell you a bit of a story."

Alex sat down, bristling and said, "What is it?"

"What I am telling you now will not leave this room. Is that understood?"

"When you were sent in to investigate Scorpia, you weren't trusted at all. As you know they even planned to kill you at the end of the Invisible Sword. Anyway when they found out that you were working for us, they tried to kill you. Fortunately for us, you escaped. Also, one of the nine main people working in Scorpia, Julia Rothman was thought to be dead. One of our agents even saw the metal from the hot air balloon fall on her." Blunt paused and Mrs. Jones took over. "She survived. No one knows how, as you can guess, she wouldn't have been taken to a hospital, because the government would have known she was from Scorpia and that would be the end. Strangely enough, she did go a to a hospital, and was treated. When the authorities found out that she was on the wrong side, it was too late. She was gone. Apparently a person in the hospital covered her. He was paid about twenty thousand U.S. dollars. Apparently the money didn't reach him. He was killed. Scorpia were afraid that he would squeak."

"Any vague ideas on how she survived?" asked Alex.

Blunt shook his head. "Not much."

"Alright" said Alex. "How does this have anything to do with Sabina?"

"We're getting there. As you know, Scorpia are lunatics. They always do things for money. You've seen to what lengths they would go to so that they could do the job properly. So you can imagine what it's going to be like when things get personal. From what are sources say, nearly every Scorpia agent has been pulled of their normal jobs, and Rothman has ordered everyone in her division to work towards capturing you. Normally they would have killed you on the spot. But not this time. Rothman wants her revenge on you."

They were silent for a few minutes. Then Mrs. Jones spoke up. "There's something else you should know Alex." The teenager raised an eyebrow. "Do you remember Nile?" Alex nodded. "Of course." He wouldn't exactly forget that black and white man.

"I don't know about you, but it seemed strange to us that a man with no history of crime could get himself landed in the middle of the world's largest terrorist organization. We looked into it. And we found out a terrible piece of information."

"What was it?"

Blunt said, "Contrary to popular belief, Scorpia wasn't founded by a group of twelve members. In fact, it was thirteen. The last one was always hiding behind the scenes, coming up with the master plans. He was an undefeatable strategist, and a ruthless fighter. He was known to have been able to use a group of four men to defeat the entire security force in a highly secure government building. But that's besides the point. No one knows his name, but we do know one thing."

"What?"

"He was Nile's father."

Alex gasped. He spluttered, "N-nile's f-fath-father?!" Blunt nodded quietly. "He was a very hard man, and cared about nothing except his son and wife. He lost his wife when Nile was born. And now that the only person he cares about is gone, I'm sure you can guess that he's after the responsible person's blood."

"Great," thought Alex. Life couldn't get any better, could it? Two crazy terrorists were baying for his blood, and now he had to go in to rescue the girl he cared about, armed with nothing but a few gadgets developed by a fat man in a toyshop?

He was about to get up, when a voice behind him said coldly, "Please stop right there, young sir, or I will be forced to blow your brains out."

There's Chapter 2. Kind of short I know but it gets interesting in the next chapter. I guess that you'll don't know whom it is that is about to blow Alex's brains out. Let's say he's an old friend. Review and I'll update. REVIEWS ROCK!!!!!!!!!!


	3. Chapter 3

Old Reunions

"Ya- Yassen Gregorovich!!" Stuttered Alex.

"Well well, Alex we meet again."

"I thought that you were dead." Said Alex.

"I thought so too. I don't exactly know how I survived. That dog Cray shot me in right at the heart. There was only one thing wrong. His gun was empty. Yes," said Yassen seeing Alex about to say something. There was blood. When I heard the bullet go off I thought that I was about to die. Fortunately, when he shot, I had every thing planned out. I knew that he would try to kill all of us. That's why I had a of handy bottle of paint. When he was killed and I was talking to you I decided not to reveal that I wasn't going to die. Who knows, you might have tried to kill me and then I would feel guilty for killing John Rider's son."

"Yeah, that's why you're holding a gun to my head." Said Alex sarcastically.

"Oh don't be scared, I know the truth. John wasn't working for Scorpia. He was a mole. He got what he deserved. I looked up to him. He saved my life more than once and I thought that he was on my side. I see that I was wrong. Well as Rothman said. Miss the father catch the son." His voice went ice cold as he said these words.

Before the intruder could reply, Blunt said, "End of the line." He was holding up a fully loaded 367 semi-automatic handgun. "I don't know how you got in but you're not going out of those gates unless you're going with the police. So give yourself in. Why are you here? Who sent you?"

"No no no. I wouldn't do that if I were you. Oh, by the way pressing the alarm wont help. I've disabled it."

"How the hell did you get in? Snapped Blunt.

"Oh yes. I do owe you an explanation don't I? Well, I came as far as the gate without any trouble." Said Yassen, still holding the gun to Alex's head. "The gate's were closed, and I saw security cameras. Later I saw that on the reception desk computers, instead of files being there. There were pictures of the gate. Quite ingenious, I must say. Anyway, I entered through the gates when a vehicle was entering. Once inside the bank, a person brushed passed past me. I felt where he had banged into me and there was a small metal ball. Presumably, a bug. I used this to get them out of the way," he said pointing to a gun."

"You killed them," snarled Blunt.

"Oh of course not, I just used a tranquilizing dart. Quite handy to put a person to sleep. Then I took the lift up to the second floor and got out. I climbed the stairs because I knew that there is a scanning system when you get to the second floor. Anyway I climbed the stairs, took out some of your agents and here I am." He concluded with smile. "That's some real security you've got." He said sarcastically.

While his story was coming to an end Blunt asked some questions to distract him. He then, with his foot quietly pressed a small patch of ground. Gregorovich didn't notice. When his story ended, the door burst open and five armed agents entered the room, all their guns pointing at Yassen. "How did they get to know that I'm here."

" Did you think that all the alarms were connected to one source? Move away from the kid." Said Blunt his voice back to normal. He was in command now. Yassen obeyed. The guards pinned him to the ground, and frisked him. They found a spare gun and a few bullets. Nothing more. And then took him away. Before the door closed, Blunt said, "Take him to the cell in the other building. Keep him under high security until you receive orders."

"Very good, sir." Said the men and went away.

"Now where was I. Oh yes Scorpia have kidnapped Sabina because they want you. Do you want to in."

"Whatever I say, you'll make me go in, so it was a waste of time asking."

"I take that for a yes. Now, while you're trying to rescue Sabina, we have a mission for you."

Alex sighed, "What else is new?"

"As you know, Scorpia have many branches. Well, they are very big into drugs. Mostly opium and heroin. Before the cold war, when the U.S.S.R were still one, Scorpia used to smuggle thousands of pounds of heroin a month. We once had a group of agents try to uncover some secrets. We even had a mole planted. Anyway, the team reported back, having found nothing. Our mole is still in there but we haven't heard from her for a long time. We presume that she's dead. We never found out how they smuggled the drugs for so long without being caught. But then it was there largest drug base. They had to take a lot of precautions because if their main base was uncovered then who knows what might have happened, they may even have been exposed. After the U.S.S.R broke up everyone believed that the drug branch of Scorpia had been disbanded. The case was closed and Interpol forgot all about it. But I'm suspicious. It's my job to be suspicious.

The phone in the room rang. "Excuse me" said Blunt to Alex. "Sure" muttered Alex quietly.

"What." Said Blunt, raising his voice, "But that's impossible. I told you to guard him. Look all over the building. Alert all agents all over London. "He must be caught. Alright." Almost shouted Blunt, hanging up the phone. He turned to face Alex and said two words. "He's escaped."


	4. Chapter 4

Hey! I updated again. ENJOY AND PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!

Julia Rothman's motive

Alex wasn't surprised. "He wouldn't let himself get caught. For two reasons. Firstly his clients would probably kill him and secondly it's not like him to get caught." Alex said simply. He knew Yassen Gregorovich. He had encountered the Russian four times already and these meetings hadn't been very pleasant.

"That cell was the most secure one that we have. It's virtually impossible to get out of it. There are three metal doors all with five separate locks and five separate keys.

"Anyway," continued Blunt. "We'll get back to him later. The founder of Scorpia was Nile's father. He was a cruel and hard man, who didn't care about anything. The main drug branch of Scorpia was supposed to have disbanded. I think differently. Scorpia don't give in so easily. We have records that a few days ago, a man was seen with the board of directors. We think that he has supposedly replaced Julia Rothman. Now. She's not too pleased about it.

"How do you know?" interrupted Alex.

"We have her with us. She was caught a few days ago, near the Scorpia main base. We know that the only way that we can uncover Scorpia is by using her."

"Where do I come into all this?" asked Alex confused.

"Since she's with us we're going to use her to go to Scorpia and find out inside information. And you're her partner."

"What?" almost screamed Alex. He was supposed to work with his father's murderer. He'd rather kill her than do that. "I'm not going to work with my father's murderer. And anyway cant another agent work with her instead."

"No" said Blunt shortly. " I am going to brief you on how to get in and once you get in what you have to do." Blunt pressed a button on the remote that was on the desk in front of him. This activated a projector that lit up the entire right hand sidewall that was completely bare. A picture of a building appeared. It was more like a fortress than a building. Blunt began, "This is Scorpia's main base. This is also where all the meetings of the board of directors take place. There are high walls surrounding the entire building. They are topped with broken glass pieces and barbed wire. The gates are made of pure metal. There is a mechanism to open them but that is located inside the building."

"How do you know all this?" Alex asked curiously.

Blunt ignored him. "The building itself has five storeys. Each storey has three rooms. Except the topmost one. That one has four rooms. There are guards patrolling every floor, not to mention around all the land owned by that building. There are also pressure pads on every floor and the lift is fingerprint sensitive. The stairs are broken in the middle of every flight and they can only be used with the help of a remote control. Blunt paused and took a breath. "I'll tell what you have to do once you're inside, later.

For now I want you to meet Julia Rothman." The door opened and a lady in handcuffs came in and sat down, a defiant look on her face. She was short and slightly plump. She was wearing prison clothes. Three men in uniform, each with a gun, followed her. Once she was inside, Blunt dismissed the agents.

"I'm not working for you. Just get that clear. I'm doing this for myself. Because I want revenge…" She broke off as Alex held a gun to her head. This was a 9 mm pistol. It had been lying on Blunt's desk and Alex was determined to use it. This was his father's murderer and now he would murder her.

"Don't do it Alex!" Blunt warned.

Alex ignored him. He kept the gun pointed to her head. "Why did you kill my father?" Alex had trouble getting the words out of his mouth.

"I did it for fun." Replied Rothman sarcastically. "I did it because he betrayed me. He betrayed Scorpia. And for that, he had to die." She ended as if she had just killed a harmful mosquito instead of a person.

"Yeah, well now you have to pay the price… with your own life." Alex's hand tightened on the trigger. He was getting ready to shoot. Blunt was tense. He knew that Alex was capable of killing a person. He wouldn't hesitate to kill his father's murderer. And in that flash of a second it happened. A bullet was fired. But it wasn't Alex who shot…

Hey guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter. I think that I got Rothman's description wrong. Oh well…


	5. Chapter 5

Revelations 

Alex heard a groan. Then the sound of a body falling filled his ears. He looked down at his gun. He hadn't fired that was for sure. His mind was in such a daze that he didn't even know if it was him who was dead. The room was filled with the sound of yelling. Agents poured in and Blunt and Alex were escorted out of the room. They were taken to a large hall where Blunt sat down. Alex sat down too, without being asked to. He knew that Blunt would never ask him to.

"What happened?" Alex asked, finally breaking the silence.

"She was shot." Replied Blunt simply.

By who? Asked Alex. He was very confused. One moment she was taunting him, the next moment she lay dead on the floor.

"Yassen Gregorovich." Said Blunt not paying attention to Alex.

"Yassen killed her?" Alex gave Blunt a questioning look.

"He must have." Said Blunt, " and I think that I know how he did escape. Those guards… did they seem familiar? Because I have never seen them before." Blunt groaned. "Yassen must have cut the power of even the alarm that I pressed. The guards that arrived were fake. They must have taken him away. And then we thought that he would probably get out of here as soon as possible but in reality he stayed outside the window and shot Rothman."

For once Alex was grateful to Yassen, for now he wouldn't have to work with Rothman. But he must have guts to have come back and shoot Rothman.

"But that can only mean one thing!" Blunt raised his voice.

Mrs. Jones walked into the room just then. She was sucking a peppermint as usual.

"Get out" yelled Blunt.

He pressed a button on his desk and a couple of agents ran in." I need you to scan the building. We're looking for a bomb." The agents were about to go out, when Blunt stopped them. "Wait, If Gregorovich was here about twenty minutes ago, then it's too late. I need you to helicopter us out.

Blunt, Alex and Mrs. Jones were in a helicopter. It was flying over London.

"Where are we going?" asked Alex.

"A safe house" was the reply.

As the words were said, there was an explosion underneath them. The whole helicopter shook from the blast. Alex looked down in time to see a huge explosion dying down. The sound of sirens filled his ears. Blunt had taken out a pair of headphones and a mouthpiece.

He spoke into it, "this is Alan Blunt, MI6 special operations division, my main base has been blown up, myself and my assistant were the primary targets, but we managed to escape." Blunt stopped talking for a moment and in that moment the driver of the chopper fell down, dead.

Blunt quickly, climbed into the pilot's seat, and spoke into the mouthpiece. "The pilot of the vehicle we are traveling in is dead. Requesting flight assistance immediately."

A voice came crackling into the head phones. "Situation acknowledged. Our men are scrambling. Emergency equipment will be standing by. Flight assistance, ETA fifteen minutes."

"Alright let's see how I can work this." Blunt looked at the screen. He saw a big red dot. He assumed that it was the helicopter. Then something caught his eye. On the screen there were four other yellow dots closing in on him. He spoke into the mouthpiece:We may not be here in fifteen minutes."

He suddenly swerved the chopper, and a missile past by meters. "We're under attack he said to Alex and Mrs. Jones. Mrs. Jones continued to brief Alex. "The main person in the building is a man named Christopher Jones. He is the deputy head of Scorpia."

"How do you know all this?" asked Alex. "And if you do then why don't you arrest him, instead of making me go on a mission that may well be my last." "We need you to go in," said Jones. "We know him because, well, he's…"

I FINALLY UPDATED. I THINK THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE UPDATING FEATURE, THOUGH I FINALLY MANAGED TO GET THROUGH. REVIEW. I USED SOME AIR FORCE ONE LINES, YOU MUST HAVE NOTICED.


	6. Chapter 6

You're never too young to die.

"He's my son." Said Mrs. Jones, unable to hide her emotions.

What! Exclaimed Alex. I thought that you're children were dead!

"So did I… until a few months ago. You see, we were investigating that drug branch in Scorpia and we found out that the head of that branch was Christopher Jones. Now were gong to send you send you in to find out which people are in that branch… and possible well take them out. We're gong to send you in an agent specially suited to the job. Agent Tony Bauer." (A/N: Jack Bauer and Tony Almeida from 24!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) A tall teen walked into the room whistling. He looked like he was used to this place. He had more visible scare than Alex. "Hey how's things."

"Hello Tony, I see you're happier than the last time we met."

"Yeah, I realized that this is where I belong, anyway, why did you call me."

"We need you to go on a mission."

"Yeah, what else is new?"

"Nile's father is after Alex and we need you to go in with him and discover the secrets that they have to hide. I need you to find out who's involved and what they're planning to do because they were supposed to have disbanded after the U.S.S.R. cold war. They've been silent for what two three years now and we think they're planning something big. In the middle of all this you have to bail a girl named Sabina out. We don't know where she is but you might be able to find her. Good luck."

They were in a large room. They were changing into their combat clothes. "Well Alex I don't know about you but for me, five days in this screwy camp is enough. As if we haven't got enough of the SAS training." It was five days after their briefing. Alex and Tony were on a team in the SAS training camp. They were preparing for a fight with the best team on the camp. It consisted of two adults. Alex wore black combat clothes. Tony was wearing white. They both wore helmets and were in the middle of a conversation when the opposing team banged on the door and told them to come out.

"Aren't they ill mannered?" Tony asked Alex.

"I heard that." Said a voice from outside "and you're going to pay for that."

They opened the door and strode out. Tony was first up against one of the adults. He was tall and well built but he had pimples and didn't look very handsome at all.

"Let the duel commence!"

Tony ran towards his opponent and rammed him in the stomach with his head. Unfortunately, he was wearing a vest made of Kelvar and Tony fell on the ground holding his head. The referee whistled and the fight was over.

But the man who Tony was fighting was not done yet. He had heard that pesky boy and he was going to make him pay. He lifted his leg and was about to stamp on the injured boy when he fell to the ground.

It was no invisible sword he felt. It was Alex Rider. He remembered the lessons that Professor Yermalov had taught him on Malagosto. He had run so fast that to his opponent it was like being hit with metal. He crumpled.

His partner came into the scene and positioned himself. It was along hard battle that was fought for the next half hour. It was pretty even with the opponent sometimes getting the edge. It ended for him inevitably, in hospital. He had fought well though he was no match against a boy who had learned karate since the time he could walk. At the end of the match, (though the two fighters had not known it) Alex had roundhouse kicked the man in the side of his neck and the man had fallen down unconscious.

Alex was in the room that he shared with Tony. The two of them were standing at the window. Alex broke the silence. "Well I guess it's time to get packing. After all we're leaving tomorrow." Alex watched as the sun set. He was afraid. He had been on five missions, but none of them at been so tense. This mission, may well be his last. He know remembered what Mrs. Jones had said to him on his first mission. "Alex Rider, you're never too young to die.

FINALLY IM DONE!!!!!!! (SIGH)


	7. Chapter 7

SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE, BUT I DIDN'T HAVE MUCH ACCESS TO A COMPUTER. ANYWAY HERES CHAPTER 7. AND FOR GOODNESS SAKE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!

Weirdness, and an unpleasant surprise.

Alex was sitting on the couch with his legs propped up on the coffee table. He had made himself some hot chocolate and was drinking it as he flicked channels on the 45-inch high def Yatsubishi plasma screen TV.

Tony was busy looking at the gadgets Smithers had given them. He supposed it was Smithers because when he had opened his backpack, there were a few extra things. First up was a gun. Just a typical gun, or so it seemed. The handle opened into a kind of swing door with a hidden compartment. Here there was ammunition, and two things that Tony would have been glad never to see in his life. One was a bomb. It was the size of an apple, and it had come with a manual. It said that the bomb could blow up an entire complex of buildings. The second was a remote control car. There was nothing wrong with it, except that once the battery got over it would blow up. Both bombs. Both deadly weapons of mass destruction. Both were to be used by him.

He hoped that he wouldn't have to use them.

Despite what everyone else thought, Tony wasn't the dandy saint that he appeared to be. He had a dark past: one darker than the worst assassins of Scorpia. No one knew what it was all about: especially Alex. Tony glanced over at the eighteen year old. He hoped that Alex would never find out the truth about him.

A loud bang on the door shook Tony out of his thoughts. Alex strode over to the door and opened it. The person whom he saw, he had last seen, during his experience in with the multi-billionaire, Nekolei Drevin. He recognized the blonde hair and chiseled features of Ed Shulsky the CIA man he had met in New York. "Hey, Alex. How are you?"

Alex found his tongue and replied, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"OK first of all can I come in, it is hot out here. Secondly, the CIA, wanted me to keep an eye on you. We don't want you killed Alex. You're a very skilled agent, and it would be a pity to lose you. So I guess im staying here then."

"I knew it," Alex thought, "obviously the CIA would want to use me. Well, all I hope is that Alan Blunt and Joe Byrne have a fight." Alex chuckled as he thought of this. He

was about to introduce Shulsky to Tony, when he found that he had gone. Alex spied a note. He picked it up, and turned it over. _Alex_, it read.

_I have just gone to meet an old friend of mine. I will be back in about an hour and a half. _

Ok well, is that weird enough for one day, Alex thought.

There was another knock on the door. Shulsky went over to the door and opened it. "Who the hell are you?"

"Who the hell are you? I thought that this was Alex Rider's base."

"Yeah why do you care if it is or not."

"That's none of your business so just keep that big, annoying, irritating, cavity filled mouth of yours SHUT!" A/N: LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just at that moment Shulsky lost his easily losable temper qand lashed out at Wolf. Wolf caught his leg and twisted it aroung. Now they were facing each other seeing eye to eye. "You crossed the line."

"You crossed the line five minutes ago."

"that tears it!"

What happened next was a battle that could have been fought between two robotic machines that were programmed to destroy each other, except that it was actually fought between two men who worked out in the gym in a lot. A/N: DOUBLE LOL!!!!!!!!!!

The end came soon for one of the fighters who I am not about to reveal right now.

"wait wait, first of all who are you?" Alex asked.

"It's me Alex your best friend Wolf. So tell this chump to move aside."

"OH there's no need for that, you'll can fight and trust me this is a battle that I won't be able to forget for a long time."

Shulsky and Wolf had adopted their fighting stances. They were about to begin when a voice called out "ALEX"


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: hello once again, there is a bit of humor in this chapter… if you could call it that.

Some villains give themselves in, some don't

"Alex"

Shulsky spun around. "Who was th-"

Before he could complete his sentence he felt a pain in his stomach, he fell to the ground. Wolf stood over him. "Ha ha"

"Who called out my name?" asked Alex.

Wolf was grinning all over his face. He usually had a serious face and when he smiled or laughed he looked really really stupid.

Suddenly Alex burst out laughing too. "What are you laughing about?" snarled Shulsky.

"Nuthin."

"Oh my god, wolf, where did you learn that?"

"Learn what?"

"When did you learn the art of ventriloquism?"

_Wolf _felt a pain in his shin and collapsed. Now Shulsky stood towering over him, he was laughing.

"It's not funny." Said Wolf.

"Oh its pretty funny from up here. You cheated, so will I."

"Alex"

"That wasn't me." Said Wolf hastily.

Tony came into the room and Wolf and Shulsky quickly had to stop there fight. (A/N: Can you imagine how sad it is for two men who's only ambition in life is to destroy, hurt and harm each other when they are about to beat the living daylights out of each other and are then interrupted.)

"Hey Tony, where were you?"

His partner shook his head. "I'm not sorry Alex."

"What the-…"

Suddenly, Tony was holding a gun in each hand. One was pointed at Alex, and the other at Shulsky. "What are you doing?" yelled Alex in shock and anger.

Tony shook his head in a bemused fashion. "Did you honestly think I was working with that pathetic agency known as MI6? I believe you're acquainted with my true masters. The name begins with an S."

"_Scorpia_?" said Alex, mortified.

"Ten points to you Alex. I was beginning to think you would never guess. Remember the SAS training camp. The fool who tried to attack me died exactly a day later. Or should I say he was murdered?"

"Why the hell have you done this?" exploded Alex.

"I'd say my reasons are pretty simple. One, Scorpia pays well. Scorpia pays very well. Especially my employer. I'm sure you understand. There's a lot of politics within Scorpia itself. Anyway, I'm getting a half a millions dollars for this set-up job to do you in. Two hundred and fifty thousand at the beginning, and the rest when you're dead. My employer was very firm that he wants you dead. He calls it a 'revenge job'."

At that second, Wolf leapt up and was about to lash out with his foot at Tony, when the traitor pulled a trigger. The SAS agent screamed in pain as a bullet entered his shin. He fell to the ground in pain, unable to fight. "I thought I gave you warning enough," said Tony coldly.

"I believe you wanted to know my second reason. Scorpia has a purpose. Unlike your useless organizations like the CIA, MI6, the SAS and the rest of that junk, Scorpia will continue to carry on their work no matter what. Their purpose is well, an initiative. Your defense organizations never take the initiative. They respond pathetically to the moves that groups like Scorpia make. And now you understand my purpose."

"Now," he turned to face Alex. "Time to die."

Before he could react, Shulsky had drawn a gun, which was pointed at him. "Don't move," he said in a deathly cold voice. In answer, Tony pointed his gun at the injured Wolf, while the other was still pointed at Alex.

Alex placed his hand on his belt and was about to draw a gun of his own, when Tony cocked his 38 Caliber shot gun. In return, Shulsky cocked his gun. Distracted for a second, Alex was able to draw his Smith and Wessen hand gun. Tony didn't blink.

"I trusted you," growled Alex. "So you did," shrugged Tony. "It was your mistake. Now be a good boy and put down that gun so that I can become filthy rich."

"I don't think that you're in any position to make demands, considering there are two guns pointed at you."

Tony suddenly fired. The bullet whizzed past Alex and hit Shulsky square in the shoulder. Shulsky yelled out in pain, and fell to the floor crutching his wound. Alex dodged another bullet fired by Tony. Alex fired at Tony but the other boy was too quick, he ducked down but the bullet still managed to graze his arm. He aimed for Alex and fired. It was the flukiest shot anyone could have ever imagined. The bullet hit first Alex at the side of chest and then went on and buried itself in Shulsky's ankle. He groaned, fell to the ground and tried to get out of range of Tony's bullets. Alex ran towards him, forgetting that he was wide open, for any attack by Tony.

But instead of shooting Alex, Tony dashed out of the door. Shulsky nodded to Alex and Alex ran out of the house, only to see Tony at the edge of the cliff where the house was located. Three hundred feet below him was a lake. Anyone in his position would know that jumping of the cliff would mean committing suicide. Whether Tony knew that or not Alex didn't know. Alex held his gun pointed at Tony and said, "What are you doing, you know that if you jump you'll be killed so give yourself in."

"I've been wanting to quote this phrase all my life and finally I can, "You'll never take me alive."

"Don't move." Said Alex, his voice shaky.

"Too late." Tony jumped off the cliff to his death three hundred feet below.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry for not updating for so long, but since a couple people added me to their alerts, I decided to restart. Hope you enjoy, and remember REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope and faith.

Alex's mind was in a whirl. He had never expected Tony to jump off the cliff. More than that he had never thought Tony to be traitor. He didn't understand a lot of things. Why did Scorpia want to kill him? They'd had their revenge according to Mrs. Jones. So why were they after him?

Suddenly he realized the pain in his chest. He had been shot. Even while he'd been thinking he had been losing blood. He had almost passed out. But if he did now then he was done for. Both Wolf and Shulsky were wounded and were themselves in danger. He tried to stager over to the house, but fell on the way there. Then he remembered his cell phone. He quickly pulled it out and dialed 999. it connected to the MI6 ISDN connection. It was answered almost immediately.

"Blunt."

"Blunt this is Alex, I'm almost dead so send some men over. Wolf is also in a critical situation."

"What happened?" asked Blunt unperturbed.

"What! I'm almost dead and all you care is about the facts. Send some freakin men over here now."

"Alright." Blunt sighed irritated. Could no work be done without interruptions?

After the phone call Alex fainted. He had lost forty percent of the blood in his body, and would have died, if Blunt hadn't been his usual efficient self. He had, just after the call sent paramedics over immediately. He had also arranged for two MI6 agents to accompany them.

Alex when he woke up, found himself on a soft white bed. He couldn't move, as he had been drugged with some sort of anesthetic. He was an operating theatre! There were several doctors in the room. When they realized that he was awake, they seemed amazed, but one quickly took a huge injection and shoved it into his arm. He felt no pain, but immediately fell asleep.

The doctors were stunned. He should have not woken up for another five hours. The anesthetic they had dosed him with would have kept an elephant knocked out for three hours at the least. They assumed that it was because he was so fit and healthy. Still it bewildered them.

Blunt and Jones were waiting outside in the waiting room. Something was disturbing Mrs. Jones. You could see it on her face. Perhaps it was because she showed some feeling for Alex. And he was wounded. Almost dead…

Blunt too, though he didn't show it was worrying. But being the work addicted selfish creep that he was he was worrying for different reasons. Alex was one of his best agents. Losing him would be a severe blow to the entire British Government. Blunt made it a point to have Alex, if he recovered, guarded. He didn't know whether he should. He'd think about it later…

When he woke up, Alex found himself in a bedroom. He groaned. He realized the place. It was his old room at St. Dominic's. Room 9. The place where the catastrophe with Paul Drevin had taken place. It was night time. He was surrounded by cards. All of them were get-well soon cards. He wondered why he was here. Then he realized that he had been shot. So Blunt had got help in time. He hoped Wolf and Shulsky were alright.

He lay down, and decided to turn in for the night. The next morning, he would ask his questions. Just then there was a knock on the door Mrs. Jones walked in. She apologized on behalf of MI6, and told Alex that there were armed guards at his door. There was nothing to worry about. She then left.

Alex pulled the blanket over his head, and closed his eyes. Just then, he heard a noise outside. He didn't bother with it. He didn't want to get caught up with a mad multi billionaire again.

There was something going on outside. Something very very disastrous. It was just very lucky for Alex that there were guards outside his door. What was happening now was a thing of total terror. It was fortunate that MI6 had taken the right measures. Very very fortunate.

Well that's chapter 9. Hope you enjoyed it. I may update soon, but I'm not making any commitments. If you review of course then it's a different thing.


	10. Chapter 10

Ok, here's chapter 10. I hope it's good, and that you guys review. It takes like three seconds. Ok maybe a little longer, but just REVIEW!

Teachings of a Tycoon

Four o' clock in the morning, showed itself at the second floor window of St. Dominic's Hospital. Alex Rider was at the window. He didn't know what had woken him up. He had been having nightmares. That another mission had gone terribly wrong…

He was just wondering whether he should go out of his room or not. There was a knock on the door. He didn't know what to do. It was unlikely that one of his friends had come to wish him, at this time of day. He swiftly hid behind the door.

When there was no answer the door opened. A dim shadow walked into the room. He seemed surprised that there was no one in the room. He was about to cry out in surprise, but the cry turned into one of pain. He felt a roundhouse kick, in the side of his neck. This would have usually knocked someone out, but this man was very obese. He was hurt, but the flab protected him.

He turned around, and Alex saw a knife in his hand. The man stabbed down from above. But Alex had been ready. He put into action a trick he had learned at the SAS training camp. As the knife came down he crossed his wrists in the air. The hand with the knife came crashing down and was ensnared in his trap. Alex then uncrossed his wrists and twisted them so he had the man's arm under his arm. He then pulled at the knife but it wouldn't come free. So he bit the man's wrist. He gave a cry of pain and dropped the knife into Alex's waiting hand.

For a finish, he karate chopped the man in his side, and he collapsed unconscious. But before he hit the floor, he pressed a panic button on a remote he had. This alerted his partner that he was in trouble and to be on his guard. The boy had to be captured.

Alex knew he had to move fast. He also knew he had to be cautious. There might be many men here, and if he was rash, it would get him caught. He walked out of the room, and into the corridor with the lift. He walked over to the lift but before he could decide whether to use the lift, a bullet whizzed passed his head. There were two reasons why it hadn't hit him. First of all it was dark, and the attacker couldn't see him. Secondly, age was on his side again, being fourteen he wasn't very tall, and the man had miscalculated.

But he didn't have time to wonder over his miscalculation. A boy with fair hair and death in his eyes stepped out of the shadows. Before he had time to cock his gun Alex raised the knife. "FREEZE!" he yelled, and then he realized how stupid it sounded with a knife. The man understood what he meant.

He knew that he had the upper hand. _Alex, when there's a knife against a gun, if the knife is in a certain position, the gun is helpless. But this only works if the gun is not loaded or cocked. _Those were Ian Rider's words when Alex had asked him. They had been at a skill show, on his eighth birthday.

Alex walked over to the man, and ripped the gun away from him. The moment he did this, Alex felt as if he had been hit by steel on his shoulder. The man had punched him, with fingers of steel, and Alex knew he was a pro. But he knew that collapsing now would be suicide. Instead he grabbed onto the man for support. As he realized his mistake the man shoved him away. He turned his fist into a weapon of death for the final kill. Alex realized what the man was wearing. Underneath the clothes he was wearing body armor.

As the man came forward with his fist outstretched, Alex made a snap decision. He ducked down, and jabbed the man in the throat using three fingers. It was called the three finger jab, and could, if applied with great force, kill someone. Alex did it only to disable him, but he would still spend a considerable amount of time in the hospital.

As the man collapsed, Alex realized that Ian Rider had been his savior all his life. He remembered all the times his advice had helped him. The karate, the circus trick-tight rope walking. And even now, the jab, and the gun trick. If it hadn't been for Ian, Alex would be dead. The dead man had helped him survive.

That's chapter 10. Lots of action huh? The title came in a flash. I found it quite catchy. And remember, I hope you haven't forgotten from the beginning of the chapter, please REVIEW! I want at least 3 reviews please. That's not too much to ask, is it? Anyway just review.


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for all the reviews guys, you were really supportive. This is kind of like a continuation of chapter 10, if you know what I'm saying. Happy reading AND REVIEWING.

The Power of Five

It was the same office. White walls. Black desk. Grey files. Grey man. But this time, there was no deputy. Alex looked at Blunt, and looked Alex directly in the eye.

"It seems there was a break in last night. St. Dominic's was the target."

"So I gathered. And what about the guards outside my room? Your Mrs. Jones told me they'd be there. Another lie to add to the long list of lies. Let's see, that's twenty six hundred times I've been lied to. Twenty five hundred and ninety eight times, were lies from you."

"Alex, we just want you to know, that we were worried about you, and we tried to rescue you. We did have a guard outside your room. But he was working for the enemy. We tried to send in rescue forces, but they had taken control of the building. The people stood up to them. They defeated the enemy. But there were two men left. They were after you. I'm sorry Alex."

"Oh, you mean that thick headed freak with the knife. He was supposed to be a guard. What next. You'll employ teddy bears to go on missions won't you? Alex said sarcastically.

Blunt seemed to blow his top. He raised his voice. "Look Alex, we made a mistake. I'm sorry that everyone can't be as perfect as you. The thing that is troubling me is that they got one of our people. That might not be so important to you, but it is to me. Well – to MI6. And you know what! You hate us so much, you can leave. We can handle it now. So just please go. You're only complicating matters."

Now Alex was rapidly losing his temper. He didn't know how Blunt could be so weird. One minute he needed Alex and spoke to him in sugary tones, and the next he got blue in the face. "Thanks Blunt. I'm out of here!"

But Blunt, for some reason blocked the doorway. He had a desperate look on his face. One that Alex had never thought a man like him could have. He softened his tone and in a pleading sort of way said, "That was out of line. I'm sorry Alex. Will you please hear me out? If you don't agree to my proposition, you can walk out."

"Make it quick." Alex said, really pissed off now. One moment nice next bad. From nice to bad in the wink of an eye. He giggled and sat down on a chair.

Blunt began, "You were on a mission before this, trying to infiltrate Scorpia. You've almost recovered, and we need you to continue it. And this time the stakes are insanely high. Scorpia have done something that we never thought they would. And now they have leverage - twice over. My person and your person. So you could say that you're doing your girlfriend a favor by continuing this mission."

"Or I could say screw you I'm out of here."

"You could, but that would be betraying your chic friend. And you wouldn't want to do that. I don't think so. To leave Sabina with Scorpia, I don't think you'd want to do that at all. You've dealt with them first hand. You know what they're like. And to leave her with them…" Blunt said with a crafty humorless smile.

Alex continued to argue. "But what's in it for me. If I mean if I succeed then you'll just send me on another mission. If I try to fail, then I'll probably be killed by the enemy."

"Well looks like you're going to have to make that decision, won't you, or on second thoughts, you can leave if you want to." Blunt strode over to the door and opened it. He held a hand in the direction of the door.

Alex gritted his teeth. "When do I leave?"

"Perfect Alex, we've got a task force that's going to accompany you. On second thoughts, I think you've already met before.

The door of the room opened, and four men walked in. he knew them. They have been with him at the SAS training camp. K unit. Wolf, Fox, Snake and Eagle. The four people who had tried to make his life hell, but over all weren't so bad.

"Hey Alex." Wolf said casually.

Blunt spoke, "The gang knows the plan. They'll brief you on the way. So are you all ready?

Wolf said, "Yeah Blunt, we're all ready to go. The Power of Five.

The men left the room. Alex was about to leave too; when he spun around and asked Blunt a question. "Oh, by the way, which one of your agents was kidnapped?

"It was…"


	12. Chapter 12

Evil Star

MRS. JONES! After four hours of thought over it, he still couldn't believe that Mrs. Jones had been kidnapped. He had thought it would be Crawley or someone but he had never expected Mrs. Jones. As far as he knew she was restricted to office work.

The chopper was a Falcon 421BD. It was the newest model in the world. It cost a million dollars. Considering it was about three hundred sq. feet and had one of the most advanced control systems of any vehicle in the world, it wasn't too expensive. Especially if the buyers were MI6.

Alex Rider stared out of the window of the chopper. It was made of bullet proof glass. He thought about the news that Blunt had given him. He still couldn't believe it. Scorpia had kidnapped Mrs. Jones. That was why he was on this mission. To rescue her. And to complete his last mission.

Wolf walked into the compartment Alex was in. he sat down next to Alex, and was joined by the other agents. He pulled out a sheet of paper, and began examining it. He finally spoke, "Here's the plan, Alex. Scorpia have shifted their base to a ship in the Atlantic Ocean. So we go in. we have the element of surprise on our side. We put a tracking device on Mrs. Jones' son. He was the head. He was supposedly the securest. It's still on him." Wolf grinned.

He continued, hardly referring to the paper, "The ship has one single part, which has two levels. We're going to attack the second level, that's where all the important people are. We kill them, and get out on a motorboat that waits for us. Any questions?"

Alex shook his head. But he had a feeling that something was wrong. It seemed so easy. But he had been on enough missions to know that this kind of thing wasn't easy.

XXXXXXXXX

Four hours and many discussions later, it was eight o' clock in the night. Alex had been on the chopper eight hours and had managed a few hours of sleep. The helicopter was going to circle overhead while the occupants parachuted out. But being the exceptional chopper it was, they had parachutes that were guided from the plane. Alex couldn't land off course.

Fox was going to remain on board. The others strapped into their parachutes. Alex wouldn't have to do anything. Everything was done from the plane. The plane door opened, and Wolf waited for the light to go green before jumping out. Then Snake and Eagle followed. Cub hesitated and then jumped out into the night.

There is an exceptional feeling you get when you are falling through the air. It is almost indescribable, but there is one thing to say. Cub felt the adrenaline pump through his veins. He felt like screaming but the feeling prevented him from it. He didn't feel afraid. At a time like this he forgot all his fears and doubts and let the wind take him.

When he reached one hundred feet above the ship, the parachute opened and he felt himself pulled upwards. He landed safely beside Wolf. The older man nodded and the whole team moved stealthily, without a sound. Suddenly Eagle tripped and fell with a crash. He swore. He wasn't hurt, but the enemy would be on their guard.

XXXXXXXXX

The cameras swiveled. The man looking at them was tall and thin. In almost perfect physical condition. Half his skin was white while the other half was black. He smirked. Everything was going according to plan.

The rooms were deserted. It seemed very odd that it was that way. Wolf had expected the ship to be teeming with people. But it seemed empty. Even the rooms were bare except for a couple of crates in each. They contained gun powder, but Wolf ignored them. He didn't realize their importance. But he wasn't to know.

The upper levels could be reached by the help of a stair case. Climbing up it, Alex wondered again if everything was right. It seemed pretty odd, but nothing to make him panic.

The room that had a proper was locked. Wolf shot it open with a bazooka. His team fanned into the room covering the every angle. The room was deserted. Something was definitely wrong. A ship that was supposed to have a dozen people on it, was empty.

Wolf just turned around when it happened.

Another cliffie. Ha ha. Review if you want the next chapter.


	13. Chapter 13

Sabotage

The explosion was so loud that if the team wasn't wearing protective head gear they would have probably been deafened. The brunt of the blast fell on Wolf and Cub. The two of them didn't even have time to cry out when they were sucked into a vortex so strong, that if they were in it for more than a few seconds the pressure would crush them.

Luckily Eagle, who had been given the bazooka, fired it. A huge bullet, almost the size of a car, hit the vortex. Alex and Wolf were flung out of it, only to be greeted by a hard white wall, which was surprisingly rusted, and immediately gave way. The journey was not over yet.

XXXXXXXX

Fox couldn't understand what was going on below him. it seemed as if Wolf had blown the ship, either that or he had blown the mission. Either way the chopper would have to fly away. They had no landing options, and even minor damage could be fatal. And Blunt wouldn't be too happy about the chopper.

The pilot, swerved the plane and it left the explosion behind it. But it was too late. They were going down. And they were going down fast.

XXXXXXXX

Beyond the wall Wolf and Alex had yet another terrifying surprise. There was the smell of smoke. And a few meters away twenty barrels of gunpowder. Whatever happened, the ship was going to blow.

The room they now found themselves in had a door. A titanium door. Protection. It slid easily. Wolf rammed it shut, and drew all five bolts. "Alex, there's got to be a way out of this room. The ship can't end right here. Look for it."

Alex shouted back, "Right." He looked around him. Except for the gunpowder there was nothing. They were trapped. "Wolf, we're not going to make it."

"You know being a pessimist isn't really helping the situation." Wolf was panicking. Even titanium couldn't withstand the blast. And he knew that. Plus there was the gunpowder that could fuel the explosion to blow a hole in the ship.

Then he realized it. It was risky. It might even get them killed. But it was an option. The only option. He hoped he wasn't making a mistake. "Alex. Get to the other side of the room. Follow my lead."

Wolf unbolted the door and as he felt the explosion getting closer, he yanked it open, and jumped to the back of the room. The last thing they both saw was a blinding light, and then they blacked out.

XXXXXXXX

The chopper, unfortunately was too close to the ship. As it blew up, the chopper was skewered. Parts of it landed in the sea, while some parts sizzled in mid air. Fox jumped out. Underneath him the sea rushed up to greet him. There was no land, for miles, and he couldn't see Alex or Wolf either.

Things weren't looking too good at all. And the worst part was that he couldn't swim.

That was a pretty short chapter, but I'm kind of out of practice. Next chapter is coming up soon. Hope you liked it. Please review.


	14. Chapter 14

Blackness

Scorpia

Blackness. Water. Moon. Those were the first things that Alex Rider saw as he awakened. He was surprised when he found himself on dry land. He sat up and spat out water. Looking around he realized that he wasn't on solid ground. He was on a large flat piece of metal. Wolf was next to him. and they were floating in the middle of the ocean.

"Wolf!" Alex was surprised to see the SAS man quiet in thought. "Where are we?"

Briefly Wolf outlined what had happened. The chopper had blown up. This was one of the doors. Fox was in the water, but he didn't know where he was.

"So, what are we supposed to?" Alex asked.

"You tell me." Wolf seemed unconcerned about their location.

"You mean you don't have a plan?!" Alex burst out.

Wolf was quiet. He seemed to be thinking. "There are three possible things that can happen to us. We stay here and drown, Alan Blunt sends men. Or we commit suicide."

"You're kidding right?"

"Well duh, we wait for 39 minutes if nothing happens. I have a plan." 

"Why 39 minutes. Why can't you just say 40 minutes."

"Fine 40 minutes, you happy?"

XXXXXXXXX

A boat cruised towards Alex and Wolf. It was roughly twenty feet long, and was painted in cheap, white paint, and the deck was covered with oil and dirt. On parts of its body, the paint had been scratched off, and it was quite rusty. Overall, it looked like a cheap fishing barge out of the 50's.

However, this vessel was anything but that. In truth, it was packed with enough technology to go toe to toe with a military helicopter. Its worn appearance had been specially designed to give it an inconspicuous look. This is what made it so deadly: no one knew what it was before it hit them.

Alex had been quiet until he noticed it. Large searchlights were flashing across the water as the passengers on the boat attempted to spot their targets; obviously, himself and Wolf.

"Wolf," he warned. He didn't have to say anything else. The two ducked down. The very appearance of the boat was enough to tell them that this did not belong to British Intelligence, or even the Navy, for that matter.

"Get under water," whispered Wolf, and the two slowly slipped into the endless abyss of the dark Caribbean Sea. They would have to stay underwater for as long as possible, surfacing only when they needed to breathe.

Unfortunately, the boat had sent out divers. They carried powerful torches specially adapted to light up the dark water. Alex froze, knowing that movement would attract the diver's attention, and allow them to find him. He could only hope that they wouldn't notice the darker outline of his body in the water.

There was an eruption of bubbles some distance from him. One diver had noticed him. He could make out the figure of a man swimming towards him. He would undoubtedly be armed. And Alex realized with a shiver, that they were taking no prisoners.

He could see Wolf, a little way away. He was having his own difficulties. Three divers had picked him as a target. He wasn't wearing diving gear. As long as he was underwater, it was unlikely that he would be hit. But he would need oxygen…

With a sick horror, Alex and Wolf understood at the same time. They weren't using any guns, or knives. They were going to blow him up. Hopefully, it might be a stun grenade. But Alex knew that that was too much to hope for. There was nothing more he could do.

He feebly tried to swim away, but the grenade exploded behind him. He could see Wolf had already been hit. Then it was his turn. The sea turned into a boiling liquid, and Alex was gone.

XXXXXXXXX

When he awoke, Alex found himself in a comfortable looking room. He was lying on a queen sized four poster bed. Someone had changed his clothes. He was wearing a combat outfit. He wondered if it meant anything.

Just as he got out of bed, there was a knock on the door. It opened. A tall man, with Russian features stood in the doorway. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Zeljan Kurst, would you join me for lunch." Alex knew the name must be an alias.

"Lunch?! It's afternoon?"

"Why, yes Alex, follow me."

Alex was faced with no choice. He followed the man out of the room, and through a long furnished corridor. They stopped at the doorway of a dining room. Alex walked in, after Kurst.

The table was already set. "Sit down. Can I offer you some whisky? No? Well then I hope you eat meat, because lunch is prawn soup, and rat's tails."

Suddenly the man's cell phone rang. He got up, and moved to the side of the table. Alex only saw the man's lips move. Then he was back. Alex, I'm so sorry to interrupt our meal, but it's time to go.

Two men walked into the room. They were both wearing suits. Kurst nodded. They grabbed his arms, and dragged him out of the dining room.

"Goodbye, Alex. I'm sorry we didn't get to know each other."

What did he mean by that? Alex had a hunch that he was about to find out for himself.

There was a door in front of them. One of the men unlocked the door, and the other pushed him in. the door was locked behind him.

At first glance, the room seemed bare, except for, bizarrely, a tree and a river in the middle of the room. Then with a sense of horror, Alex saw it. It was seven feet long, and two feet wide. No he realized why Kurst had bid him farewell… he was facing a saltwater crocodile.


	15. Chapter 15

Trapped!

Alex had never felt as he felt right now. The fear he was experiencing was rooting him to the spot. He had the sense not to make any noise, though he was trembling. He had seen this animal on TV, but it was a hundred times more brutal and ugly face to face.

A rush of childhood memories rushed into his mind. _He was sitting on a swing in the park with Ian. _Ian. He was the cause behind this. The reason why Alex was going to die at the age of fourteen.

Until then, the beast hadn't even noticed him. But, one fact that Animal Planet had forgotten to mention was that crocodiles sensed fear. The animal was blind and deaf. But it felt Alex's presence.

Alex backed off, into a corner, hoping the beast had not noticed him. But this was not to be. Like a giant monster of death, it slowly closed the distance between itself, and a tasty meal.

Alex rushed away, not caring any more what happened, except that he should not die. He had imagined that he would die and old man of eighty six, after a career of football, not at the age of fourteen, who had spent his life being used, manipulated, and finally discarded. MI6 wasn't coming for him. Wolf would probably be shot. Another person who was delusional. Serving queen and country. But a queen that didn't know he existed and a country that didn't care tuppence about him.

The same was for Alex. But he had been forced in. he had been a bonus. The missions that he had gone on, and survived, had been pure chance. If he was killed, what did it matter? They had never expected him to succeed in the first place.

He was snapped out of his grief by the sound of a snarl. The beast was hungry. This puny human wouldn't be much of a meal, but its flesh was tender, and it tasted delicious.

Without sparing a thought, Alex ran towards the surprised beast, and leapt on its back. It roared with rage. Its tail thrashing around, it ran towards a wall, and hurled itself into the concrete, with the hopes of throwing Alex off. The impact shook Alex, and when he looked at the wall his heart sank yet again. The concrete was hardly chipped, and he had hoped it might be weak. True the paint work was damaged, but the wall was impenetrable.

Alex still didn't give up hope. There had to be a way. There was always a way. He couldn't actually die. He racked his brains, and mentally went through everything his uncle had taught him. But it was useless. Alex silently cursed Ian. This was all his fault.

The only place to turn to now was the eastern wall of the room. There was a circuit box full of wires. If only they were connected to a power source, it would be possible to electrocute the monster.

Alex knew it was too much to hope for, but there was no other option. He opened the box, prising off the dusty lid. The box was empty. It had been a trick. Just to get his hopes up, they had planted a false weapon.

And then he saw it. The crocodile had turned around, and it was heading towards Alex. But he had lost his willpower. He was facing and organization that he could not defeat, and it would bear no fruits to continue trying.

Slowly it came closer, inching its way towards its prey. Its claws scraped against the ground, and Alex could smell its foul breath. It was now a meter away. Alex closed his eyes, and prayed that his death should be painless. The last thing he saw, were the teeth of the crocodile, and its gaping jaws stretched wide.

Did you like it? Please review for the last chapter to come soon.


	16. Chapter 16

The team of SAS men that burst into the room, were dressed in khaki shirts and trousers. They each carried a customized weapon. The man at the front, codenamed Wolf, carried an AK – 47 machine gun, with a stainless steel barrel, and an iron stock. The others carried semi – automatic pistols, shotguns, and a bazooka, which had been used to blast open the huge titanium door.

As he made his way into the room, Wolf realized the gravity of the situation. Alex Rider, their objective was in immediate danger. If action wasn't taken fast, they would have to cut open the crocodile's stomach, and remove the greasy mask that had once been Alex Rider.

Instinctively, Wolf aimed, and fired two shots into the rear of the animal's skull. Another casualty to add to the long list that had grown during this mission. Wolf smiled grimly. First had been two security guards who had been about to raise the alarm, then came Kurst's bodyguard, and finally, Zeljan Kurst himself. There had been no other option. Oh, and how could he forget. Dear old guard whom he had killed while escaping. Mrs. Jones wasn't going to be happy, but what could one do?

The backup he had called for had brought him the suit he was wearing, and his favorite weapon. He had to be careful. There had not been time to bring along extra ammunition, and what had was all he was getting.

As he ran towards Alex, he wondered what the boy's reaction would be when he heard that Julia Rothman and Nile's father were in the building. "Alex," he said. "Are you alright?"

Alex opened his eyes. He seemed remarkably calm after what he had just faced. In fact, he had seen death, looked it in the eye, and only then had he realized how precious life was.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Skipping all questions, he asked, "What's the plan."

In response, Wolf grabbed Alex's hand, and yanked him up. He ran to the door, checked that the coast was clear, and then signaling to his team, he ran out.

XXXXXXXXX

Julia Rothman sat sipping her cappuccino. She eyed the man in front of her. Nile's father was a giant. He was at least six foot seven, and weighed over four hundred pounds. The chair he was sitting in had been reinforced with steel to stop it collapsing.

She had just received news, that Alex Rider had backup. The bank of security cameras showed her that the band of infiltrators were making their way out with as much noise as they could. Even as she watched, two security guards were shot. It didn't seem right to her. She had suspected, her opinion supported by the man in front of her, that they would try to end the situation there and then.

XXXXXXXXX

Alex was following Wolf, without knowing where they were going. They headed towards the perimeter fence, and though it had been electrified, there was no power in it now. Eagle and Fox had taken care of that.

As they headed out onto the main road, Wolf took out two Scorpia men, and then jumped into the BMW that had been parked there. He took out a small remote control, and over his shoulder Alex could see that he had set the timer to 60 seconds. He then pressed three red buttons which turned green, and threw the device into the premises owned by Scorpia.

He revved up the car, and backed it out, while the others got into a military jeep behind. As Wolf sped away, Julia Rothman was more confused than ever. She had thought that they would look for the Jones boy. As it was they had killed him, and created the illusion that he was in charge.

Twenty miles away, Wolf saw the explosion. The building was completely torn apart, and yellow flames licked at the surrounding shrubbery. The three bombs that had been planted, had done their job. Alex looked back, shielding his eyes, and thought that no one could have survived an explosion of that magnitude.

XXXXXXXXX

The grey Alfa Romeo that had been parked outside the building, sped away towards the shore. Julia Rothman smiled to herself as she accelerated. Nile's father was dead. He had been the only obstacle to her leadership. But now things had changed. Scorpia would regain their lost prestige, and Alan Blunt would die.

No one saw the privately owned Boeing 737 aircraft take off from the grounds of a huge manor three hours later. Neither did they see the single passenger inside, sipping a vodka martini, smiling at the sweetness of success.

That was the last chapter. Hope you liked it. Sequel depending on the reviews. Ciao for now-

Magical Conductor.


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